Gun Storage And Humidity Control

[scottnc]

I'm attempting to reduce the $$ damage done by thieves should I suffer a break-in. We live a "remote area" such as still exists in the southeast. The location results in long waits for law enforcement and the long distance from the road offers isolation for intruders to do their thing. I have opted for hiding my firearms versus using a safe because a safe tells thieves where the guns are - and my basement contains all manner of metal fabrication (aka, destruction) tools. A hidden room is nearing completion that will be the repository of my firearms. Humidity control needs to be addressed before finishing. The area surrounding the hidey-hole is dehumidified which may be enough? Despite a good bit of thought I haven't come up with a brainstorm idea to ensure dry storage without offering a clue (ventilation) that there is a there there. I'm thinking of an external moisture monitor via a probe - assuming the room once dry will stay so. Thoughts?

[Shawlerbrook]

Does the room have electricity and what are the dimensions ? An electric or chemical dehumidifier might be the solution. I have read 50% RH is a good target as you don’t want it too dry which probably is not a problem in the SE.

[Nueces]

I once made a similar gun room and proceeded to cool and dry it as follows. Had attic space above it, which also covered a nearby house room. Installed two AC ducts and registers in the ceilings of both inside and gun rooms. One was split from the HVAC duct serving the inside room and had a duct fan to boost air flow. The other duct was a passive return from ceiling of the gun room to ceiling of the inside room. This return duct in the house room was the only clue, but it looked just like any other AC register. Boy, it worked well. Gun room, where I did reloading, too, was perfectly comfortable. And dry.

[Handloader109]

I wouldn't be totally concerned that someone would search out a gun room hidden with only ac ducts in the attic giving away the location. Most will break in and quickly ransack and get out. Some will stay to work and break into a safe. If you have a safe, I'd most probably put a few cheap guns inside, a few of the ones you aren't partial to or just don't care about. Put safe in a location that would allow thieves to think they hit it good and spend their time breaking into it rather than looking elsewhere. You should bolt safe down, don't make it too easy... Don't want to lose any, but a few would be better than most or all.

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[LeonardC]

We run a dehumidifier in the garage and another one in our crawlspace. The one in the crawl space drains to the sump so I don't know how much it kicks on. The one in the garage holds a gallon of water and I have to dump it a couple of times a day. It has made a lot of difference in the tools, etc. not showing rust.
Have a plan for getting rid of the water.

[slughammer]

To stop corrosion and condensation you just need a slightly elevated temperature. "Golden Rod" dehumidifiers for gunsafes work this way. They don't remove moisture, they elevate temperature a few watts and that stops condensation. My storage closet that is well insulated uses an LED lightbulb mounted low. I leave it on 24/7. (When my lightbulb stops working, I'll notice the next time I'm in there.)

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